Belgian man found dead at house in Chiang Mai, murder suspected
The lifeless body of a Belgian man was discovered with a bag over his head after a Thai maid stumbled upon his suicide note in a Chiang Mai province residence. Thai police suspect murder rather than suicide.
The Thai maid reached out to San Kampaeng Police Station after finding the suicide note of a 73 year old Belgian businessman, Vachaudez, on the dining table inside the house in the San Kampaeng district of Chiang Mai province.
The maid reported that she returned to Vachaudez’s house on November 26 after taking a three-day leave to make a merit with her family in the Mae Taeng district. Upon arriving at the house, she went straight to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for Vachaudez.
When she finished cooking, she brought the food to the dining table and discovered a suicide note, which mentioned financial problems and relationship disappointment.
The maid said she rushed to check Vachaudez’s room and found a “Do Not Enter” sign. Afraid to enter the room, she tried knocking on the door and calling Vachaudez on the phone but there was no answer. She then called the police.
The police broke into the bedroom and found Vachaudez’s lifeless body. He was wearing a black T-shirt, long black trousers and black shoes. His head was covered with a plastic bag. Inside the plastic bag was a plastic pipe connected to a helium cylinder. He reportedly died 16 hours before he was found.
Suspicious cause of death
The crime scene suggested that Vachaudez had committed suicide by inhaling helium gas. However, the gas cylinder valve had been turned off and there was still some helium in the tank, suggesting foul play.
The Thai maid added that suicide was possible because Vachaudez had financial problems and had divorced his Thai wife. According to the maid, Vachaudez had been running a resin casting business in Thailand for over 10 years and recently ran into financial problems.
Vachaudez used to live in Chiang Mai with his Thai wife and children but they divorced. The wife and children later moved to live abroad. Vachaudez once told the maid that many of his friends had committed suicide and that he would do the same one day.
The investigation into the true cause of Vachaudez’s death continues.
If you or anyone you know is in emotional distress, please contact the Samaritans of Thailand 24-hour hotline: 02 713 6791 (English), 02 713 6793 (Thai), or the Thai Mental Health Hotline at 1323 (Thai). Please also contact your friends or relatives at this time if you have feelings of loneliness, stress, or depression. Seek help.
